“So.” Quentin cleared his throat. “Why not ask him out?”

“I’m too chicken,” Cat answered in a tone that indicated the answer should have been obvious. She turned to Quentin and his stomach dropped further at the bummed expression on her face. “And now he apparently has a girlfriend again.”

“Or not.” Looking up, Quentin watched in amazement as Jared leaned down and reopened the cab door, one hand on Lara’s lower back.

“Oh, my gosh!” Cat squeaked. “He’s sending her home!”

Never in his life did Quentin think that he’d actually be conflicted about the banishment of Lara.

They both watched in silence as Lara whirled on Jared, fire in her eyes. She said something that neither of them could quite make out, but the venom in her tone was unmistakable. As cold as ice, she reached forward and plucked Jared’s phone from his hand. Quentin’s jaw dropped as he watched Lara pitch the phone to the pavement and then bring the heel of her Louboutin down on the screen. A smirk on her face, she whipped back around and slid into the cab.

Quentin and Cat shrank into the shadows as her cab drove off down the street.

“Holy smokes,” Cat muttered. “That was crazy.”

They both peeked back around the corner, but Jared had disappeared into the building.

“That’s nothing when it comes to Lara. A few years ago, she slashed all the tires of his car only to find out that it wasn’t his car.”

“What?”

“Yeah. And the kicker was that she couldn’t afford to buy the owner new tires so Jared paid.”

“Wow. Either he’s a total pushover or he’s really sweet.”

Quentin kept his mouth shut.

“How long have they been together?” Cat asked.

“On and off since high school. We’ve all known each other since grade school.” They started a slow stroll toward the building.

“I’m detecting in your tone that you really don’t like her.”

Quentin sighed. “As you can see, she’s kind of a... difficult person. But I wouldn’t really have a problem with her if I didn’t have to live with Jared. It’s just too much Lara in my life.”

“What do you mean have to live with Jared?” Cat asked as he held open the door for their building for her. She scampered forward and pressed the elevator button.

“He’s my cousin, did you know that?”

“Oh!” She brightened immediately, like someone had flicked on a lamp inside her. “I didn’t know! That’s cool.”

“Yeah. We were really close growing up.” He rolled back on his heels after they stepped onto the elevator, debating how much to divulge. “It’s kind of a long story, but I lived with him and his mom, my aunt Sarah, in middle school and high school. So, when Jared and I moved to the city for school, it was kind of a given that he and I would be roommates. He’s been in and out of work for a few years so my place is a really reliable situation for him and... Yeah. I can’t exactly tell him that his girlfriend can’t come over, you know?”